Philadelphia Phillies Two Most Criticized Hitters Come Up Clutch In Massive Win

It may have been early, but there were two Philadelphia Phillies hitters who were getting the most criticism. That might change after their clutch performances on Tuesday.

Apr 26, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Johan Rojas / Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies finish up their road trip facing the Los Angeles Angels in what was expected to be their easiest series during this stretch.

Coming off a sweep of the San Diego Padres, the Phillies dropped the opener on Monday after a late inning collapse saw their lead vanish.

It came at a disappointing time as they couldn't take advantage of their division rival Atlanta Braves dropping a game on their road trip that would have allowed Philadelphia to cut into their NL East deficit.

The Phillies looked like they were going to give another game away to the Angels after they allowed four runs in the sixth inning to trail 5-3.

Then, the two most criticized offensive players on the roster came up clutch when the team needed them most.

Following Brandon Marsh striking out to lead off the ninth inning, Nick Castellanos stepped to the plate.

It hasn't been the best start for the slugger who carried Philadelphia during the early portion of last season and earned himself an All-Star selection. In fact, he only had one home run and eight RBI on the year entering this at-bat.

But, Castellanos tied up the game 5-5 with his bomb to right center field.

Casty!!!#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/NBePKGipLn

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 1, 2024

That was an important swing for obvious reasons.

Not only did it tie the game, but it also could be the moment that gets the slugger going at the plate to improve upon his a slash line of .193/.258/.263.

With Castellanos in the dugout having tied things up, Bryson Stott, who has had his own struggles to start the year, roped a ground rule double as the very next batter to be the go-ahead run standing on second base with just one out.

Up next was Johan Rojas.

Nobody has been more criticized and scrutinized than the young center fielder this season.

After getting off to a slow start, there were many analysts and fans calling for his demotion to the minors despite the elite defense he provides.

But, amongst the criticism, Rojas has continued to work hard, getting mentored by superstar Trea Turner, and has really become a solid hitter at the plate recently.

That was on full display as he stood in the box and blasted a ball 390 feet over the left field wall for his first homer of the year that gave his team a 7-5 lead.

The kid comes in CLUTCH#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/HHXWFGRZpv

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 1, 2024

The Phillies held on to win and are now a half game back of the NL East lead, and became first team to reach 20 victories on the season.

Even more importantly, this could be the catalyst that gets everyone in this lineup going.

To have Castellanos, Stott, and Rojas all come up clutch when they have been the three hitters who have struggled the most to start the year, that could pay major dividends throughout the course of this long season moving forward.